The Falling Of Tessa Gray
by DamselOfWords
Summary: Tessa Gray is a scholarship student in a very elite high school. She is serious, studious and has no friends as of yet. However, everything changes when she runs into The Host Club - a club of five pretty boys who entertain girls for fun. From here on life becomes crazier and more adventurous as Tessa gets to know each boy. This story is inspired by "Ouran Highschool Host Club".


**A New Beginning**

Tessa grabbed her bag, gathered her books in hand and stalked out of the library. There were four floors in this house of books but each one was far too noisy. Why didn't teachers monitor the place and ask students to keep it quiet? She couldn't study at all. Two tests were coming up, three essays were due in, and there was so much to do in the Charity Committee. She exhaled heavily before pausing by a window in the corridor. The day was unusually radiant and warm for Scotland – a country that was normally bleak, cold and rainy. She looked down at the school courtyard where three girls were talking and laughing by the fountain. A small prick of loneliness made her look away before she resumed walking. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been carefree and laughed with friends. For the past three years in middle school- since her mother had died, she'd thrown herself into her studies and focused on nothing else. Hard work had paid off. Her excellent grades won her the scholarship due to which she now attended the ultra-elite Oakwood High School. She'd now been here a month and still hadn't made one friend. To the filthy rich kids in this school she was merely a "commoner". Someone who didn't belong. She knew the kind of things they whispered behind her back but as long they didn't dare say it to her face she didn't care. Besides, friends were distractions and her priority was studies. She halted in front of a Music classroom. Most of the classrooms toward this end of the school were not used much so perhaps this was empty. She knocked on the door and it fell open. It was awfully bright in here, the sunlight making her squint. She entered, took a few steps and stopped on her tracks. In front of her were five of the most attractive boys she'd ever seen. She blinked and blinked again.

"Well well, our first customer is here!" announced the boy with glitter crusted lashes. He glanced at his watch "You're a bit early though. We don't open for another fifteen minutes. But now that you're here…" He walked up to her, bent down to take her hand and kissed it. "Welcome to The Host Club, senorita"

Tessa simply stared. "What?"

The boy smiled and straightened up. "My name is Magnus. I am the King of this club. And those beauties there, from your left are" he turned and pointed to the other four boys "Gabriel, Gideon, James and last but not least is Will."

"Will…" Tessa repeated, in a whisper. The boy Will was staring at her right now with cold dark blues eyes. She had never seen an eye colour quite like that. Like a blazing blue flame or a glittering sapphire. It captured and amazed her.

"So you want him then?" Magnus asked, a small smile playing on his face.

"Want him? No, I was just…" And then Tessa remembered. She had heard some of the girls in her class talking about The Host Club- a club where pretty boys entertain girls for a short period of time through talk, music, magic tricks and plays. She had thought it ridiculous and had been surprised the school allowed such a frivolous club to exist.

"You were just, what?"

Tessa moved away from him and cleared her throat. "I'm sorry. I was just looking for a quiet place to study and thought this music room might be free. Clearly, I was mistaken. Excuse me."

"What a ridiculous excuse?"

Tessa had begun to turn but stopped. It was Will who had spoken. He had a strange accent, she thought. It sounded English but seemed to have a twang of something else in it. What could it be? This school had people from all over the globe so it was difficult to guess.

"I saw your face when you saw us. You were clearly awed" he continued, a hint of amusement in his voice. "I'm guessing you came early so you could get all five of us to pay attention to you."

"For once, I think Will's right" Gabe said "She's a greedy one, isn't she."

Warm blood spilled into Tessa's cheeks. "I told you I was looking for a room to study. I have no interest in you or your stupid, useless club."

Magnus gasped. "Stupid and useless!? That is so rude! I like to think of us as charity workers. We're beautiful, brainy boys who are eager to please the wonder that women are. We want girls to smile, laugh, and forget their worries when they're here with us." A dreamy expression crossed his face "We exist" he spread his arms out "to make each girl feel like a princess in paradise!"

"Or" Tessa said "This is just an easier access to girls so you can get into their pants."

"What!?" Magnus exclaimed "We are strictly non-sexual."

"We are?" inquired Will.

Gabe frowned at Tessa. "If you think we are useless, you can leave, lady. Nobody here is dying for your company."

"Do not talk to her like that, Gabe." Gideon rebuked, surprising Tessa. She thought Gideon's face seemed vaguely familiar. A hint of a memory danced in her mind but she couldn't seem to put a finger on it.

"Wait a minute…You are the scholarship student, right?" Jem questioned, speaking up for the first time. He was holding a violin in one hand and sweat trickled down his collarbone. He must have been playing it not too long ago. "You are Tessa Gray."

"How do you know my name?"

"You're popular" Will answered, "for being a commoner and a geek. You are the only scholarship student in our school. That's an achievement." He moved so he was much closer to her, their bodies nearly touching.

"Yes. It is." Why was he so near her? She could study him better now – the paleness of his skin, the way his dark hair had fallen into his eyes and tangled with his long eyelashes, the full mouth… He was beautiful. The most beautiful boy here.

"So you must be spending most of your time studying. Why not let us entertain you?" He leaned in closer. Tessa could feel his breath on her face. "Let _me_ entertain you."

Tessa, her heart now lodged somewhere in her stomach, hurriedly stepped back and stumbled onto a table with a vase on it. The next thing she heard was the shattering china of the vase and a "No!" from Magnus.

A moment's silence ensued. Jem spoke up "Oh boy, what do we do about that auction now?"

"I'm sorry!" Tessa said, instantly bending down to pick up the pieces. Jem quickly set his violin down on the couch nearby, walked up to Tessa and stopped her.

"It's alright. You'll hurt your hand. We'll get a maid to clean it up."

"It's not alright" Magnus moaned "That vase was meant to be auctioned at the Charity event tomorrow. It was an authentic imperial vase. An 18th century antique from China. It costs around a hundred to hundred and fifty thousand pounds."

Tessa nearly fainted. "Hundred thousand!?"

"Yup, we have the receipt for it. You're going to have to pay it back" Will said with some kind of sick delight in his voice.

"I don't have that kind of money! I-"

"Then you're going to have to work for it." Gabriel said. "We can't just let you walk away, you know. You owe us all; we all chipped in for that vase."

Tessa glared at Will, who still looked amused. She looked down at the shattered pieces and cursed inwardly. Her first year of high school and she was already in debt. How on earth was she to get a hundred thousand pounds? She lived in a council house and cheap new clothes were a luxury to her. Stupid Will, she thought angrily. Maybe she could get another part time job and start to pay back in installments. And once she graduated from university and got a good job, she could settle her debt fully.

"Fine…I need time, of course, but I'll pay you back."

"Magnus…" Jem said, "There is no need for Tessa to pay this back. It was clearly an accident. She didn't mean it. And for the auction tomorrow, I'll ask my Father to get us something else."

"I guess that would be alright…"

"But that wouldn't be fair, now would it, Jem?" asked Will "Tessa did break it and needs to do something about it. She doesn't have to pay us back but how about she works for us?"

"Works for us?" Jem echoed "Like a maid? That wouldn't be nice, Will."

"What do you say, Tessa? Don't you feel a sense of responsibility for what happened? Would your conscience be clear if you just walked out of here like you did nothing?"

Tessa, somehow, got the sense that Will was enjoying the situation she was in. She knew hundred thousand was probably pocket money for guys like them. But Will was right in a way. She did break the vase and she'd feel better not owing them anything.

"Thank you Jem. I cannot afford to pay you all in cash but I can assist here for no pay."

"Great!" Will exclaimed and put his arm around Tessa "This is our new servant. She will be at our beck and call as and when we need it."

Tessa shrugged him off and glared at him as if to say _"Do not touch me." _

"It's settled then." Magnus announced. "This is a genius idea, Will. I don't know why I didn't think of employing a maid for us before."

Will grinned. And this time Tessa was sure that he'd hoped for this outcome. As to why, she had no clue.

The weather had turned dark and rainy again. It matched Tessa's mood as she walked home. This was the worst day of her life. A maid! This is what she'd been reduced to. But she didn't want to owe them anything. She didn't want to be in debt like her Father was. Even though it was humiliating, it was the right thing to do. In this moment she missed her mother more than ever before. She wanted her mother's advice, her wisdom but she wouldn't get it. As she opened the door to her house, she wondered how tomorrow would go. From now on, it could only get worse.


End file.
